Mathieu, Gimeno-Traver Spring Upsets In Marrakech
Paul-Henri Mathieu reached the second round of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Tuesday as he upset sixth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5, 6-3 on a rain-interrupted day in Marrakech.
The Frenchman lifted the trophy at this ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament back in 2007, when it was held in Casablanca. The 34-year-old Frenchman notched his sixth win of the season, highlighted by finishing runner-up to countryman Richard Gasquet in the Montpellier final in February.
Daniel Gimeno-Traver also sprang an upset as he ousted fifth seed Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4 in 82 minutes. The 30-year-old Spaniard reached the final in Casablanca last year, losing out to Martin Klizan.
Eighth seed Jiri Vesely made a strong start, dismissing Inigo Cervantes 6-1, 6-3 in 84 minutes. The Czech saved the five break points he faced as he claimed just his second win of the season.
Nicolas Almagro set a second-round clash with top seed and fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez as he defeated Radu Albot 6-4, 6-3. The 30-year-old Almagro is attempting to reach his second clay-court final of the season this week, after finishing runner-up to Dominic Thiem in Buenos Aires in February.
Next Generation star Borna Coric will open his campaign against Italy’s Simone Bolelli, who defeated Taro Daniel 7-5, 6-4 in just under two hours.